1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a hearing device of the type having a storage device to store setting data of the hearing device and an interface device for data communication with the storage device. The present invention also concerns a method to adapt such a hearing device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Modern hearing devices are being continually developed by implementing new signal-processing features in circuits that are a part of an integrated circuit (IC) in the hearing device. The time span between the original development of a circuit and its next generation is generally a few years. Consequently, multiple hearing device families and generations are always on the market.
For patient-specific adaptation of hearing devices, a knowledgeable and technically competent person (acoustician) makes adjustments to the hearing device, by applying signal-processing concepts that the acoustician understands. The acoustician is aware of concepts related to the signal-processing teachings such as, for example, amplification, compression concept, knee point, compression ratio, etc. These signal-processing concepts are of a general nature and thus remain viable longer than the time span between the development of successive hearing device generations. For example, hearing device controllers that embody such signal-processing concepts are implemented in multiple successive hearing device generations.
A further development of the signal-processing technology experientially leads to new concepts being created (for example, voice activity detection (VAD) or fast attack noise cancellation (FANCY)) that are first implemented as a new development in a hearing device generation, become established, and are likewise implemented in the same form in subsequent generations. In addition, it appears that many signal-processing concepts are established industry-wide and are thus used by a larger field than the specific clientele of an individual hearing device manufacturer.
High-end hearing device platforms are developed wherein the overall signal-processing in general embodies the newest state of the art, implemented on one IC. The IC is provided with an interface that enables access to the signal-processing units of the IC, for a readout and as well as adjustment of each unit. The interface is designed such that interrelated sections are handled as a hearing device controller that already embodies the aforementioned signal-processing concepts.
Similar to a universal hearing device platform, these hearing device controllers are present not only in large numbers, but also each single one of the hearing device controllers has a broadly designed, considerable adjustment range. In order to bring various hearing devices using a hearing device platform to market, a universal software package is created that is not only able to work with all hearing device controllers in their respective full scopes, but also can be configured so that it uses only a limited selection of hearing device controllers and among those may use only a limited adjustment range. By means of this configuration procedure, a universal platform is therefore customized for a specific hearing device for which the software effects all actions that are initiated by the end user.
The customized software is designed in layers, such that a reduction of the platform-specific hearing device controller space to the device-specific hearing device controller space is achieved in a first layer. The device-specific controller space is provided with an interface of a further software layer. In this second software layer, an interpreter is housed that executes sequences of program commands in which it modifies the current hearing device controller states corresponding to these program commands. This type of operation to describe, for example, in European Application 109 16 20. A third software layer that has a user interface for the end user and receives input commands from the end user is superordinate to the second software layer. Such an input command can effect, for example, a loading of a program command sequence that is executed in the second layer by the interpreter. A specific example of this would is the dialog unit implemented in adaptation software, such a dialog unit listing a series of typical auditory situations and names corresponding thereto, presented as a menu selection. Each of the selection points causes the interpreter to execute a program command sequence that adjusts the hearing device corresponding to the named problem in order to achieve an improvement in the hearing sensation. Such a method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,340.
Moreover, each hearing device generally has a proprietary communication protocol. Furthermore, each hearing device has a specific individual register model. Attempts at standardization of the communication protocols and register models have not yet succeeded. Alone, freely programmable hearing devices would offer the possibility of such standardization, but at the cost of a very high surface area and current requirement with high complexity. Only external software is described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,340, and this software provides only a generalized interface in the form of macros and converts these into IC-specific register modifications and communication signals.